Recoil-gun.



No. 807,561. PATENTED DEC. 19, 1905.

' J. KRONE.

RECOIL GUN.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.7.1905.

L SHEETS-SHEET 1.

PATENTED DEC. 19, 1905. J. KRONE.

REGOIL GUN.

APPLICATION FILED Mum, 1905.

' 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHANNES KRONE, OF ESSEN-ON-THE-RUHR, GERMANY, ASSIGNOR TO FRIED. KRUPP AKTIENGESELLSOHAFT, OF ESSEN-ON-THE-RUHR,

GERMANY.

RECOlL-GUN.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 19, 1905.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, J OHANNES KRONE, a subject of the Emperor of Germany, and a resident of 56 Bismarckstrasse, Essen-on-the-Ruhr, Germany, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Recoil-Guns, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to recoil-guns in which the gun-barrel is capable of being elevated with the cradle and also capable of being elevated independently of the cradle. In the hitherto-known guns of this kind the gun-barrel swings into the cradle when elevated relatively to the cradle. Such an arrangement necessitates a complicated construction of the cradle and puts a condensed structure of the gun out of the question. The said drawback might be avoided by arranging the bearings for the trunnions at a higher elevation; but in such case the firing height of the gun would be undesirably increased.

The object of the present invention is to avoid drawbacks above described, while keeping the firing height of the gun as low as possible. The said object is attained according to the present invention by locating the axis about which the elevation of the gun-barrel independent of the cradle takes place in close proximity to the rear face of the gun-breech.

In the accompanying drawings I have, by the way of example, shown the invention as applied to a mountain-gun.

Figure 1 is a side view of the gun, partly in section. Fig. 2 is a view corresponding to Fig. 1; but with the gun-barrel less elevated. Fig. 3 is a view corresponding to Fig. 2, but with the gun-barrel parallel to the cradle. Fig. L shows a part of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is an enlarged section on line 5 5, Fig. 1, seen from the right. Fig. 6 is a detail view. Fig. 7 is a section on line 7 7, Fig. 6, seen from above. Fig. 8 is a side View of a part of the chase of the gun. Fig. 9 is a detail view in section on line 9 9, Fig. 5.

The gun-barrel A is slidably arranged on the slideways 0, Fig. 5, of the cradle O through the medium of the slide B, Figs. 1 to 5 and Fig. 9, which is connected with the recoilbrake and the recuperator. The elevating mechanism E, that is arranged between thecradle and the mount D, provides the means for elevating the gun-barrel with the cradle. The above-described construction of the gun is commonly known and needs no further explanation.

The breech carries on the lower portion of its rear face a a projection a, Figs. 1 and 4:, having a semicylindric end (0 On the slide B is a bearing I), open toward the breech and having its bearing-surface 5 exactly corresponding to the end (0 The axis of the surfaces a and b is located in close proximity to the exposed face a of the breech and intersects at a right angle the vertical plane of the bore of the gun-barrel. The portion of the bearing 6 that overlaps the projections a is of a shape that permits of the gun-barrel being elevated relatively to the cradle about the axis of the faces a and b from the position shown in Fig. 3 to that shown in Fig. 1.

In order to secure the gun-barrel in the positions shown in Figs. 1 and 2, I provide on the gun-barrel a boss F, Figs. 5 and 8, and on the slide B a boss G, Figs. 1 to 3 and 5 to 9, and I further make use of a supplemental piece K, Figs. 1, 2 and 5 to 7 which will hereinafter be referred to as the support.

The boss F, Figs. 5 and 8, is situated on the under side of the gun-barrel near its muzzle and is of T shape. The flanges f of the boss F are parallel to the axis of the bore of the gun-barrel. The boss F is provided with a semicylindric groove f, opening toward the slide B and extending transversely of the axis of the bore of the gun-barrel.

The boss G, Figs. 5 and 9, is positioned on the side of the slide B toward the gun-barrel and is provided with a perforation it, extending transverse of the slideway c of the cradle O and having the same diameter as has the groove f of the boss F. In the boss G is an undercut or T-shaped longitudinal groove H, exactly corresponding to the boss F of the gun-barrel. The undercut parts /L2 of the groove H are parallel to the slideway c of the cradle.

The support K consists, as clearly seen from the drawings, of an approximately prismatic hollow block and is provided with two perfo rations p and q and with two undercut grooves P and Q, exactly corresponding to the boss F of the gun-barrel. On each of the sides opposite the grooves P and Q the support K is provided with a T-shaped boss T and R, exactly corresponding to the groove H of the boss G on the slide and having a semicylindrical groove 9'' and 6, respectively. The diameter of the perforations p g and that of the grooves t 0' corresponds to the diameter of the perforation 71, Fig. 9, and that of the groove f, Fig. 8. The support K is further provided with two cams k and 3 The groove P forms, with the boss T, an angle of ten degrees, and the groove Q forms, with the boss R, an angle of five degrees.

I will now describe the manner of operating my improved device.

When the gun-barrel has been elevated relatively to the cradle, the support is shoved in from the front between the gun-barrel and the slide B until the groove P of the support engages the boss Fof the gun-barrel and until the boss T of the support engages the groove H of the slide-boss Gr. When theparts have reached the position in which the cam k of the support abuts against the boss G of the slide, the perforations 19 will register with the groove f and the perforation it will register with the groove 25. By inserting two bolts J and M, Figs. 1 and 5, in the perforations 10 and 72, the support can then be coupled to the gun-barrel and to the slide B, and in such position, Figs. 1 and 5, the gun-barrel has an elevation of ten degrees by reason of the relative arrangement of the groove P and the boss T. In the position shown in Fig. 2 the groove Q of the support engages the boss F of the gun-barrel, and the boss R of the support engages the groove H in the boss G of slide. The cam k of the support abuts against the boss G, and the bolts J and M are inserted through the perforations g and it. By reason of the relative arrangement of the groove Q and the boss R the gun-barrel has in this position an elevation of five degrees. When the gun-barrel with the breech is shoved from the front on the slide B until the boss F of the gun-barrel engages the groove H in the carriage and until the projection a of the gunbarrel engages the bearing piece 6 of the slide, the perforation it will register with the groove f. By inserting the bolt J, Fig. 3,

in the perforation 72/ the gun-barrel may then be coupled to the slide and secured in the position in which the axis of the bore of the gun is parallel to the slideway of the cradle.

The above-described arrangement of the gun-barrel on the slide permits of a cradle of simple construction being used and also permits of the recoil-brake and the recuperator being arranged in condensed relation to the cradle because the form and relative arrangement of these parts is entirely independent of the described arrangement of the gun-barrel on the slide. Moreover, it will be readily understood that in the improved construction Having thus described the invention, the

following is what is claimed as new therein:

1. In a recoil-gun, the combination with a cradle, and a gun-barrel, of means permitting the gun-barrel to be elevated relatively to the cradle about an axis located in proximity to the breech of the gun-barrel without having any part of the barrel swing through the cradle.

2. In a recoil-gun, the combination with a cradle, and a gun-barrel, of means permitting the gun-barrel to be elevated relatively to the cradle about an axis located in proximity to the breech of the gun-barrel, and means for securing the gun-barrel in an elevated position relatively to the cradle said means being located between the muzzle of the barrel and the said axis about which the barrel swings.

3. In a recoil-gun, the combination with a cradle, and a gun-barrel, of means permitting the gun-barrel to be elevated relatively to the cradle about an axis located in proximity to the breech of the gun-barrel, and means for securing the gun-barrel in difierent elevated positions relatively to the cradle said means being located between the muzzle of the barrel and the said axis about which the barrel swings.

4. In a recoil-gun, the combination with the cradle, and the gun-barrel, of means permitting the gun-barrel to be elevated relatively to thecradle about an axis located in proximity to the breech of the gun-barrel, means for securing the gun-barrel in an elevated position relatively to the cradle said means being located between the muzzle of the barrel and the said axis about which the barrel swings and means for elevating the gun-barrel with the cradle.

5. In a recoil-gun, the combination with the cradle,and the gunbarrel,of means permitting the gun-barrel to .be elevated relatively to the cradle, means for securing the gun-barrel in normal relation to the cradle, and means adapted to be inserted in said securing means for fixing the gun-barrel at an angle of elevation relatively to the cradle.

6. In a recoil-gun, the combination with the cradle, and the gun-barrel,of means permitting the gun-barrel to be elevated relatively to the cradle, means for securing the gun-barrel in normal relation to the cradle, said means being located in proximity to the muzzle of the gun-barrel, and a support adapted to be interposed in said securing means for fixing the gun-barrel in an elevated position relatively to the cradle.

7. In a recoil-gun, the combination with the cradle,and the gun-barrel,of means permitting the gun-barrel to be elevated relatively to the cradle, means for securing the gun-barrel in position parallel to the cradle, means adapted to be interposed in different positions between said securing means and the cradle for fixing the gun-barrel at different angles of elevation relatively to the cradle, and means for elevating the cradle While maintaining the angular relation of the gun-barrel and cradle.

The foregoing specification signed at Essen, (Ruhr,) Germany, this 15th day of February,

. JOHANNES KRONE. In presence of HARRY S. MEFFERD, FRAU PFUDEL. 

